What is the role and significance of archetypes in The Name of The Wind and The Wise Man's

Fear?

Name: Jack Kelly

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Subject: English
Section: May 2016
Word Count: 3905

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Abstract
The investigation herein seeks to explain the relationship between Carl Jung's archetypes
and Joseph Campbell's motif entitled the Hero's Journey. To guide in research and argumentation
the following question was raised: what is the role and significance of archetypes in The
Name of The Wind and The Wise Man's Fear? The goal in answering the question is to show
the interconnectedness between the Hero's journey motif and archetypes and what this relation
means as a whole. The scope of the research used to answer the research question was an
archetypal analysis of both the Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, and an analysis of
how archetypes are used to portray the Hero's journey motif. The following conclusion were
drawn as a result of the investigative process: the presence of archetypes in the works analyzed
facilitates in the portrayal of the Heros Journey. The overarching appearance of the same
archetypes in both novels depicts the universality of the Hero's Journey motif. The conclusion
of this paper is that the presence of archetypes create higher meanings in regards to where the
archetypes are present.

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Table of Contents
I.

Introduction

II.

Thesis

III.

Foreshadowing

IV.

The Mentor Archetype

V.

The Villain Archetype

VI.

The Hero Archetype

VII.

The Journey Archetype

4
5
5
6
7
9
12
VIII. Conclusion
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Works Cited

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I.

Introduction

The Name of the Wind is a first person account of the main characters life as told through an
interview with a historian, known as Chronicler. Kvothe at the time of the interview is an
innkeeper hiding his past. The Chronicler has tracked Kvothe down to get his account of his life,
to separate the fact from the legendary stories about Kvothe and what he has done. As a child
Kvothe grew up in a traveling group of actors known as the Edema Ruh. From an early age
Kvothe was gifted as a musician, an actor, and with magic and science. Kvothe tells his story of
through two frames, the first the present time when he is an innkeeper, and the second is his first
person account of his life for the biography the Chronicler is writing. Kvothe tells of how his
parents and entire traveling acting troop were killed when Kvothe was very young by beings
called the Chandrian. He goes on to tell of how he survived in the wilderness and then on the
streets until being admitted into a school called the University. Kvothe spent multiple years at the
University learning more about magic, medicine, sciences, and making a name for himself as a
legendary figure. In The Wise Mans Fear Kvothe continues his studies at the University, but
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travels for a long period to let the strife his presence at the University causes die down. On his
journey Kvothe hunts down highway men to earn a patron to support him financially. While
doing so he begins to learn how to fight from a warrior known as an Adem mercenary. Soon after
Kvothe leads an attack on the highway men in which he finds a member of the Chandrian and
survives using magic beyond the point any other person would have died. After the battle Kvothe
survives an encounter with a fae called Felurian, a feat that no one else has ever accomplished.
After Kvothe continues to train under the Adem mercenaries for a time before heading back to
the University. In between telling his story, the present day Kvothe contrasts every way he
describes his past self. When reading these two novels, readers can ask the question, what is the
role and significance of archetypes in The Name of The Wind and The Wise Man's Fear?
II.

Thesis

In Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear, Rothfuss uses
archetypes to portray Kvothe's evolution as a hero through the Heros journey in order to display
how the Heros Journey motif is supported by archetypes to reveal how higher meaning is given
to objects.
III.

Foreshadowing

Rothfuss' foreshadows the results of Kvothe's evolution through his interactions with
Chronicler and Bast when being interviewed about his life by the Chronicler such as,
Something about the low intensity of Kvothes voice in his place stood someone dark and
fierce they had deepened to a green so dark they were nearly black curse at the University
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(Rothfuss, Name of the Wind 94) The dramatic diction of the Chronicler's thoughts foreshadows
that Kvothe will undergo a journey and become a hero. The direct characterization of "dark and
fierce" foreshadows that Kvothes journey will have some negative effects on Kvothe through
the change from an approachable innkeeper to a threatening figure. This contrast between the
two characterizations signifies that Kvothe will still be dealing with the repercussions of
becoming a hero after he has completed Joseph Campbells Heros Journey. The fantastic
imagery of Kvothe's change in eye color emphasizes that Kvothe is still coming to terms with
what he has done.
Kvothes eyes change from a lighter green to a very dark green depending on his temper.
This is portrayed through his interaction with a medical student after getting injured retaliating
against Ambrose as a part of their feud. Kvothe becomes angry when the student, Mola, does not
accept his lie about what happened to him, as portrayed in though here, "Mola looked at me.
'They're dark,' she said sounding surprised. 'Dark green. Like a pine bough.' Wil continued. 'Don't
argue with him when he is eyes go dark like that. No good comes of it.'" (Rothfuss, Wise Mans
Fear 175). Wil's statement "no good comes of it" reveals that Kvothe's anger lasts a while. Also
it portrays Kvothe's anger as being almost unstoppable because it can change the color of his
eyes, which is not normally possible. The advice "dont argue with him his eyes go dark..."
portrays Kvothe as becoming even more determined to do what he feels he needs to when he is
angry. The direct characterization of present day Kvothe as unstoppable through the change in
eye color portraying his anger Rothfuss foreshadows that the continuing trials for Kvothe as part
of his return in the Heros journey motif.
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IV.

The Mentor Archetype

At the start of The Name of the Wind Kvothe begins telling of how he grew up in a
traveling troupe of performers. They were part of the Edema Ruh; a culture that believes that
family is not defined solely on blood relations, but those who would always be there for each
other. Other people, not part of Kvothes troupe, would travel with them for safety on the roads.
These persons supplemented Kvothes education growing up. One of these teachers was an
arcanist named Abenthy. At a town Kvothe witnesses Abenthy perform magic and invited him to
into their troupe, because Rothfuss writes, to find answers to my questions (Name of the Wind
64). In this way Abenthy represents the mentor archetype. Rothfuss outright states that Abenthy
is a mentor to Kvothe when he writes, Could you teach me some of those other things? I
asked. He smiled, and it was as easy as that (Name of the Wind 68). Rothfuss uses the imagery
of Abenthys smile to reveal him becoming Kvothes teacher. Abenthy teaches Kvothe a wide
range of subjects and quickly learns of Kvothes impressive intellect, as showcased by Abenthys
reaction to Kvothes ease at understanding sympathy, a way of using your will to bind objects
together. Kvothes ease at learning sympathy and Abenthys reaction is depicted by the quotation,
It took me about two hours to figure out that the pine pitch wasnt necessary. When I asked him
Ben admitted that is was merely an aid for concentration. I think he was surprised that I figured it
out without being told (Rothfuss, Name of the Wind 76). Through Kvothes dismissive diction in
reference to the amount of time it took him to learn sympathy, a brand new and difficult subject,
Rothfuss reveals to readers how smart Kvothe is. Abenthys reaction, revealed as surprise
through Kvothes thoughts, leads to Abenthys lasting impact on Kvothes journey. Abenthy tells
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Kvothes parents that Kvothe would be accepted into the University, which plants the desire to
go there in Kvothe revealed through the quotation, I missed the rest of what Ben said. The
University (Rothfuss, Name of the Wind 89)! Kvothe wish to attend the University is shown
through the dream imagery of Kvothe not listening to the rest of what Ben says, instead focusing
on his fantasies surrounding getting into the University. In these ways Abenthy fits the mentor
archetype. Abenthy guides Kvothe to go to the University when he gets older, and awakens in
Kvothe a desire for knowledge and power through his teachings on chemistry, sympathy, history,
and other subjects similar. Because of Abenthys guidance at a young age Kvothe seeks out the
knowledge needed to fulfill his desire later in the novels.
V.

The Villain

The villain archetype is also present in both novels in the form of the Chandrian. The
Chandrian are a group of creatures from legend. They are not spoken of and are universally
feared. The Chandrian themselves are seen as demons in the sense that they are evil and nothing
good comes from their presence, but the truth of the Chandrian is shrouded in mystery. The
Chandrian attacked Kvothes troupe soon after Abenthy left and killed every one in it. The
villainous aspects of the Chandrian are revealed through Kvothes interaction with the Chandrian
immediately after Kvothe finds them in the destruction of his troupe through Rothfuss writing:
Except his eyes. They were black but with no iris. His eyes were like his sword,
and neither reflected the light of the fire or the setting sun I saw pity staring at
me with hollow eyes. Young man, he said, wherever are your parents?
toward the fire where the others sat. Does anyone know where his parents are?
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Some of them smiled, hard, and brittle, as if enjoying a particularly good joke
Cinder turned back to me and the pity fell away like a cracked mask, leaving only
the nightmare smile upon his face. Is this your parents fire? he asked with a
terrible delight in his voice (Name of the Wind 115-116).
The unnatural imagery of neither reflected the light of the fire or the setting sun in reference to
a member of the Chandrian symbolizes that the Chandrian are detrimental to the world as a
whole. Because the Chandrian are directly connected to the deaths of Kvothes family, this
foreshadows that Kvothe will fight the Chandrian. In doing so Kvothe will take on the role of the
hero. This is further supported by the dark imagery of his eyeswere black with no iris in
Kvothes description of Cinders eyes. The lack of iris and color in his eyes represents that
Cinder is evil. This is emphasized by the juxtaposition of pity staring and terrible delight in
Cinders manner when asking about Kvothes parents. Pity is usually associated with empathy, a
quality that people who care for the well-being of others have. Meanwhile Cinder takes delight in
the fact that Kvothes parents are dead, and Kvothe has no one left in his family. This
dichotomous relationship reveals that the Chandrian are the epitome of evil. The cruelty Cinder
and the other Chandrian display seen though the sentences, Does anyone know where his
parents are? Some of them smiledas if enjoying a particularly good joke also show that the
Chandrian are evil. Their cruelty is seen through the dark imagery of smiled good joke that
portrays the other Chandrian finding the death of Kvothes parents amusing. The death of those
that mean the most to a person is not amusing unless someone does not care at all for the

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survivor. The dichotomy between Kvothes grief at his parents death and the Chandrian enjoying
their death foreshadows Kvothes struggle against the Chandrian later on in the novels.

VI.

The Hero

Kvothe is a representation of the hero archetype. One instance of Kvothe being heroic is
how he deals with two men sent after him. Kvothe uses magic as portrayed by Rothfuss words,
Lowering one hand to the flames that licked my leg I focused my Alar felt a terrible cold tear
through me as I pulled more heat from my blood There was an explosion of white light
(Name of the Wind 476) to deal with both assailants using. Through this event Kvothe is
portrayed as heroic because he fought against evil, represented by the men, and defeated it. The
men represent evil because they meant to harm Kvothe, shown through their threats against
Kvothe, the huge man behind me spoke Ive got a knife on you. You struggle, I stick
you (Rothfuss, Name of the Wind 474). The threatening imagery of the knife to Kvothe and
the casual diction the man uses when talking about killing Kvothe portray the men as villainous.
However, he uses the reactions of others in a negative manner such as, The mans voice was
high and frightened It gave me a thought Who sent you? I demanded in my best Taborlin
the Great voice. (Rothfuss, Name of the Wind 477). One of the men who attacked Kvothe is
depicted as scared through the description of his diction as high and fearful. Despite this
obvious fear in the man Kvothe takes on the manner of a legendary wizard to threaten the man
for more information. Through this action Kvothe is described as uncaring towards the man
where a hero would be caring even though he man attacked him.
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Kvothes representation of the hero archetype is exemplified by Kvothes words to the

Chronicler, Once, I sang colors to a blind man. Seven hours I played, but at the end he said he
saw them, green and red and gold. Trying to make you understand You cannot know
(Rothfuss, Name of the Wind 321). In reality there is no way for a blind man to see or understand
color, yet Kvothe circumvents this with his music. The absolute diction of cannot know
represents the fact that only Kvothe could understand how to do what he did. The imagery of the
colors green and red and gold symbolize Kvothe himself after the attack by the Chandrian.
Green is for Kvothes eyes symbolizing Kvothe seeing the connection between the Chandrian
and other events such as the wedding that was completely destroyed. The red represents the
blood that has been spilled by the Chandrian motivating Kvothe to hunt them down and kill
them. The gold represents that Kvothe has good intentions. This is a characteristic that portrays
Kvothe as hero because he has sacrifices his own well-being to help others. Kvothe's willingness
to help others at the expense of himself is portrayed when Rothfuss writes, "The flames were so
high I couldnt see to the other side, let alone guess how thick the wall of fire had become Im
going to have to carry you out. I shouted I picked her up, I sucked down another lungful of
burning air just as I entered the wall of flame Then nothing" (Rothfuss, Name of the Wind
450). In this seen the imagery of a lungful of burning air shows how Kvothe sacrifices his own
wellbeing when saving a fellow student.
While investigating the Chandrian in a remote village Kvothe comes in contact with a
dragon, seen in this quotation It grunted like thunder, then bobbed its head and breathed another
great gout of billowing blue fire. It was a dragon. The calm diction Kvothe uses to describe this
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encounter again portrays Kvothe as brave because he does not back down from the dragon,
protecting his companion Denna. Being brave and defending others from harm are both traits of
a hero. The parallels between the imagery of the dragon and Kvothe, thunder and fire,
symbolizes that Kvothe has immense power as a hero. This idea is furthered by the actions
Kvothe takes to defend the town from the dragon. These actions are portrayed through this
quotation, A ton of wrought iron fell. If anyone had been watching they would have noticed
the wheel fell faster than gravity could account for as if it were drawn to the draccus there
was no God guiding it. Only me. (Rothfuss, Name of the Wind 585-86). The religious diction
comparison of Kvothe to God, no God Only me, portrays Kvothe as being akin to a god.
This enhances the representation of Kvothe as a hero because it portrays Kvothe as acting on
Gods will, therefore his actions serve the greater good. The unnatural imagery of the wheel
falling faster than gravity could account for connects Kvothes actions back to the Chandrian,
showing that Kvothe will fight the Chandrian for the good of others.
Kvothe is again portrayed into the hero archetype when he almost single-handedly
destroy a camp of highway bandits. Kvothe was sent along with four mercenaries to hunt down
the bandits and stop them from causing any more problems for the lord whose lad they were on.
They found the bandits camp were outnumbered. Two of the mercenaries are discovered by the
bandits and Kvothe uses magic to defend them. This is portrayed through Rothfuss writing, I
drew the knife out, refocused, and drove it into the sentrys eye My knife rose and fell
one of them toppled to the ground Holy God, Marten choked. Dear holy God (Wise Mans
Fear 611-612). The repetition of knife shows that Kvothe is killing multiple people with only a
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knife. The fact that Kvothe is able to kill so many with such a small weapon signifies that when
fighting evil Kvothe has no limits. The religious diction of holy God reveals the strength that it
takes to kill in such a savage manner as Kvothe does. It also again equates Kvothe with God
showing that Kvothe fight against evil forces. Kvothes companions reaction to his magic at the
bandit camp also depicts Kvothe as a hero. Kvothe as he recovers hears one of the mercenaries
say, Leave off, Den. He was killing them one by one I think he called the lightning down.
Like God himself (Rothfuss Wise Mans Fear 617). The control over nature imagery of called
the lightning down characterizes Kvothe as a force of nature. This shows that Kvothes strength
is superhuman because he can exert control over nature. The fearful tone the mercenary uses
when talking about Kvothe reveals that Kvothe is seen as something more than a man. This
showcases that Kvothe is a hero because he is seen as distinguished for his actions against the
bandits.
VII.

Journey

The journey archetype is utilized by Rothfuss to showcase Kvothe developing into a hero. It
depicts the Road of Trials from the heros journey. After Kvothe defeats the bandits he chases the
Felurian into the realm of the fae. The Felurian is said to drive men mad or kill them. When
Kvothes survival is threatened he finds deep within himself a well of power. He use this power
to remain sane in the face of the Felurian. While using his new power Kvothe realizes the extent
of his power. This is portrayed when Rothfuss writes, I knew then that I could kill her. It would
be as simple as throwing a sheet of paper to the wind. But the thought sickened me, and I was
reminded of ripping the wings from a butterfly. Killing her would be destroying something
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strange and wonderful. A world without Felurian was a poorer world (Wise Mans Fear 641).
The certain diction of knew and the death imagery of kill her portrays Kvothes growth in
power as a result of undertaking the journey. It speaks to how Kvothe has learned about his inner
self. Kvothe characterizing the ease at which he could kill Felurian as being as simple as
throwing a sheet of paper to the wind emphasizes Kvothes growth in strength mentally. This is
seen through the fact that the magic Kvothe uses to combat Felurian is based on the strength of
his mental concentration, revealing that Kvothes strength has increased because he can now
fight a magical being, Felurian. The sickened imagery of sickened me shows that Kvothe has
learned when to use his power. This reveals that Kvothe has developed foresight, a trait
necessary for a hero. When Kvothe describes a world in which Felurian is dead as a poorer
world represents Kvothe learning the value of life. This further characterizes Kvothe as a hero
because it foreshadows that Kvothe will not use his power without a good cause, a trait of a hero.
Kvothes encounter with Felurian as part of the journey archetype portrays Kvothe in a heroic
light, foreshadowing his continuation through the steps of the Heros Journey motif.
After returning from Felurians world, Kvothe goes to train under and learn the ways of
the Adem mercenaries. The Adem mercenaries are regarded as the best in the world and Kvothe
goes to where they live to learn about them. As a test to finish his training there he is told to walk
through the moving branches a tree with swords attached to the branches. Kvothe calls the name
of the wind to safely pass through the branches of the tree. Rothfuss writes, And there it was.
Like the name of an old friend that had simply slipped my mind for a moment. I looked out
among the branches and I saw the wind. I spoke the long name of it gently, and the wind grew
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gentle. I breathed it out as a whisper, and for the first time since I had come to Haert the wind
went quiet and utterly still about Kvothe learning the name of the wind. The symbolism of
the long name represents Kvothes long search for the name of the wind coming to an end. It
shows that Kvothe is determined because he started his search as a child and finished it years
later. The phrase first time parallels Kvothes first time calling the wind without difficulty. It
emphasizes that Kvothe has learned how to focus his mind, which reflects his growth from a rash
decision maker into a more experienced person. The repetition of gentle shows that Kvothe has
learned that force is not eh answer to all his problems. It represents a paradigm shift in how
Kvothe approaches problems. He used to just rush at them and force his way through them,
figuratively and literally. Now Kvothe has learned to take on problems slowly to allow him to
find the answer easier.
VIII. Conclusion
Patrick Rothfuss utilizes the mentor, the villain, the hero, and the journey archetypes to
showcase the development of Kvothes character. The significance of the presence of these
archetypes is the appearance of the Heros Journey motif as a result. Throughout the novels
Kvothe undergoes the Heros Journey. Through the mentor archetype Kvothe goes through the
Call to Adventure. For Kvothe the mentor archetype guides him in his pursuit of knowledge. He
is marked apart from others because of his drive to learn that is facilitated by his teachers. The
villain archetype, seen through the Chandrian most importantly, drives Kvothe toward his thresh
hold struggle. Kvothe is driven this way because the Chandrian remain the enemies of Kvothe
despite his search to find them and end them. Kvothe is a representation of the hero archetype.
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Through the portrayal of Kvothe in this role the tests portion of the Heros Journey motif is
shown. These tests are shown through lesser evils such as terrorizing dragon, street assassins, and
a bandit camp. As Kvothe completes the tests he is further portrayed as the hero archetype.
Resurrection is seen when Kvothe uses so much magic against the bandit camp that he believes
that he will die. The journey archetype shows the third part of the heros journey motif, the
return. In the return the hero has a realization about an aspect of his life. On Kvothes journey he
realizes how to use the strongest kind of magic possible, naming. Through the nature of naming
Kvothe learns that if he is calm mentally he can do almost anything. The hero archetype in
conjunction with the journey archetype isolates Kvothe. This isolation forces Kvothe down the
path of the heros journey because he has no choice. Rothfuss utilizes the archetypes of the
mentor, the villain, the hero, and the journey to reveal that the heros journey motif requires
archetypes to be properly displayed. The appearance of the Heros Journey motif is a byproduct
of the inclusion of these archetypes in the novels. Through this Rothfuss reveals that archetypes
are central to the portrayal of the Heros Journey. In doing so Rothfuss displays that the presence
of archetypes create higher meanings in regards to where the archetypes are present.

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Works Cited
"Archetype, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2015. Web. 7 June 2015.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Third. Novato: Joseph Campbell
Foundation, 2008. Print.
Rothfuss, Patrick. The Name Of The Wind. New York: DAW Books, Inc., 2007. Print.
Rothfuss, Patrick. The Wise Man's Fear. New York: DAW Books, Inc., 2011. Print.
Straker, David. "Campbell's 'Hero's Journey' Monomyth." Campbell's 'Hero's Journey'
Monomyth. 30 Sept. 2002. Web. 5 June 2015.
Straker, David. "Jung's Archetypes." Jung's Archetypes. 22 Apr. 2007. Web. 7 June 2015.

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